Mystery Case Files: Fate's Carnival
by ashstar54321
Summary: The Master Detective returns to Madame Fate's Carnival to investigate reportedly mysterious affairs. Little does she know, a member of the Dalimar Family is eagerly awaiting her arrival.
1. Fate's Carnival

_A small caravan sits in the middle of a corn field under a deep black sky. A full moon sheds a pale light over the scene as a raven swoops down from the clouds, loudly cawing. The bird dives through the caravan's open window, alighting on the edge of a velvet lined box. It cocks its head, admiring its reflection in a crystal ball for a moment before pecking at the orb with sharp beak, sending a spider web of cracks over the surface. A low, throaty voice resonates from within the orb._

 _"_ _Tanatos…bring me the Master Detective."_

 _The raven, seeming to understand or perhaps just startled by the voice, ventures off into the darkness._

"Ah, Master Detective! Just to whom I would like to speak!"

Josephine Miller clenched and unclenched her fist nervously. When the Queen of England was seeking her out by phone, it meant only one thing: another (probably highly dangerous) case.

"Your majesty, the curse of Ravenhearst Manor has been broken. Charles Dalimar has been destroyed, but his son Victor escaped. All trapped souls have been freed and the manor itself has been demolished."

"Yes, yes, that's all very well indeed, but a new shall-we-say _complication_ has arisen from a previous case. Do you remember that charming little carnival that you investigated just days before your second investigation of Ravenhearst Manor?"

"Charming's not exactly the word I would use, your Majesty." She thought for a moment on the eccentric cast of a traveling carnival she had been acquainted with, each now quite probably dead. She shuddered, nudging the bobble-head figurine of the eccentric fortune teller by whom her services had been requested.

"It seems that the Dalimar family has been linked back to Madame Fate's Carnival. I need you to hunt down answers, find suspects, and seek out the truth!"

Josephine groaned internally. She had hoped to have seen the last of the Dalimar family forever, but, alas, this seemed to have been a bit too much to hope for.

"Your Majesty, I'm on the case."


	2. The Amazing Larry

_Seems like just yesterday I was driving this road._

"Detective, location indicator shows that you are nearing the anomaly. Over."

She picked up the two way radio.

"Yes, sir. This looks familiar. Over."

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck some invisible structure in the distance and the shapes of rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, and many other structures came to life in a blaze of sparks.

"It should. One of your past cases took place here. Ov-" The radio cut out into static.

"Chief? Chief! Come on, don't drop the signal!" She tapped the radio on the dashboard a few times to no avail. "Looks like I'm on my own, then." She got out of the black Cadillac and approached the gates. A grimacing skeleton of a scarecrow dressed in an oversize coat and hat stood guard. A large, black bird sat on its shoulder, but flew off into the carnival as she approached. Josephine approached, tugging the jacket aside. An empty heart-shaped hole with a bronze key, which she pocketed. _Never know what this could open._ A tattered banner reading _MADAME FATE'S CARNIVAL! FUN FOR ALL!_ hung above the ticket booth. On further inspection, the window of the booth was plastered in posters advertising carnival acts. Each one had the eyes of the performer torn out. A small lever was attached to the counter, but it was far too tight to move. A small scarab beetle was clinging to the edge of the window, also too stuck to remove. She stood a moment, looking around. A tangle of roses had overtaken the entryway to the carnival grounds. _No way am I sticking my hand in those. I need gloves or a tool or something._ A jeweled magician's trunk was leaned haphazardly against a poster advertising a magician. Josephine knelt to examine it, finding a corkscrew jammed inside the keyhole, though with a bit of jiggling, it came loose. She unlocked the trunk with the bronze key, letting its contents spill out over the ground, an array of top hats, rabbit food, trick cards, bow ties, handcuffs, and magic wands, and a pair of pruning shears. She smiled, slinging them over her shoulder, and turned to the overgrown thorn bush. Taking a strong stance, she snipped away until she had a large pile of blooms and thorns at her feet. Smiling at her handiwork, she saw that the entryway was a one of those revolving door type mechanisms. Slowly, she pushed her way through, entering into Fate's Carnival. Suddenly, a thick purple haze enveloped her, rolling in out of nowhere. An indistinct figure pushed through the cloud, becoming clearer and clearer. It was Madame Fate herself, in a spirit form, still looking exactly the same as she had during the previous case, draped in too many scarves and necklaces. The ghost spoke in a thick foreign accent.

"Master Detective. I see that you have returned. My old curse is now for you to bear. I have sent you a companion who will assist you in your endeavors. Iris will be your guide on this journey. You must save the carnival and set us free."

A sleek black cat with large ears bounded towards her, rubbing its head against Josephine's leg as the smoke cleared.

"Come on Iris. It's time to figure out who cursed this carnival!"

With Iris at her heels, Josephine stepped briskly up the stairs to a towering structure with a sign DAY AND NIGHT THEATER. A sign depicting a serious looking man in a top hat and cloak was propped neatly outside to the door. Another scarab was stuck to the poster with what looked like pitch. The sign read ALISTER D LI A, several letters scratched out. _I don't remember another magician being part of the acts here, just Larry…but, as Madame Fate foretold, "It appears ze amazing eediot may find heemself lacking hees lower halv AND hees job at ze stroke of meednight…you might say he ees HALF ze man hee used to be!"This is why, perhaps, cutting yourself in half is not the most popular magician's act ever…_ A knife was wedged into the front of the sign, between Alister's eyes.

"Thanks to whoever left me a knife, but you forgot the leave the handle," she murmured. Iris looked up curiously from a bug she was stalking and bounded over to Josephine, begging for affection. The detective conceded, letting the cat leap up onto her back and drape herself around her shoulders. A mechanical bird lay just in front of the door. Josephine picked it up, tucking it into her messenger bag. The door to the theater was barred by a large lock, something Josephine had come to associate with her detective work.

"Hm. Looks like I need to find a key." Iris mewed in agreement. The cat leapt to the ground, bounding off towards another gate, this one a series of heavy chains. "Wait, come back!" She took off after Iris, who had squeezed under the lowest chain. "I need you!" Iris gave a disdainful look and wriggled back under the gate, dragging a mask behind her. "Oh. Thank you." Josephine knelt and stroked Iris behind the ears. Iris jumped back onto her shoulders, purring with satisfaction as Josephine tucked the mask into her bag. She paused, examining the gate. The mechanism was missing a handle. Sighing, she turned around and came up the other path. Several small tents and a diving tank were set up. Josephine could see something at the bottom of the diving tank, but the murky water obscured it. A sign with a photograph of _The Amazing Larry_ stood outside one of the tents, but the entrance had been tied off with thick cord. A black knife handle was caught in one of the knots, but she managed to free it with minimal effort. _Excellent! Now I can go get that knife!_ She jogged back to the theater and fitted the handle to the blade stuck in the sign. Armed with a rather large knife, she hurried back impatiently to the tent and sliced cords apart. Flinging open the tent flaps, she ducked inside. In the middle of the room was a box, the kind used to slice people in half 'magically' without harming them, and in the box was Larry. Although the box had been cleanly sliced down the middle, the man seemed to be miraculously alive, teetering on the edge of consciousness despite being obviously carved up.

"Larry!"


	3. The Magician Saved

The magician gave a weak moan, turning his head slightly towards Josephine and nodding before he passed out. Iris bounded across the room and began to lick his face comfortingly. Josephine stood aghast, unable to fathom how the hack magician was still alive.

 _"_ _And for my n-next trick, I will pull a rabbit out of this v-very hat!" said the slightly disheveled man on the stage. He removed his hat and held it out for all to see inside. Without any warning, the bottom of the hat gave way and a disgruntled white rabbit tumbled out, scampering into the audience amidst squeals and jeers from the crowd. The Amazing Larry gave chase, stumbling between rows of disappointed children and tired looking adults before seizing his costar by the ears and holding him up to show the audience._

 _"_ _Ta-da! There you h-have it, ladies and gentlemen, a white rabbit, summoned entirely by m-magic!"_

 _"_ _Get off the stage, ya meatball!" a man shouted from the back of the tent._

 _"_ _Who said that?" Larry demanded._

 _"_ _Boo! I wasted eight bucks on this hack and I want my money back!" shouted another._

 _"_ _But, ladies and gents, b-boys and girls, please! You h-have not seen the e-entire show!" Larry flung open his arms with a flourish, spilling an entire deck of so-called mystic playing cards across the room. The crowd began to get up and leave, murmuring their disappointment. "No, wait, come back!" The crowd continued to ignore him. "Wait! Come back for the f-final show of the evening, that's nine o'clock, ladies and gentlemen, and witness a feat so daring, so f-fascinatingly intrepid, you've never seen anything like it!"_

 _"_ _Ah, forget it! You're just a phony!"_

 _"_ _No, p-please, everyone! I will perform my most fearless feat yet! I'm going to…" he paused, thinking wildly. "I'm going to s-saw myself in half!" A few audience members stopped, turning around to give him intrigued looks. Larry looked as though the very idea of performing made him ill. "That's right! And, courtesy of M-Madame Fate herself, the tickets for this once-in-a-life-time performance will b-be…free! That's right, ladies and gents, free tickets to see the Amazing Larry saw himself in half! Right here, at Fate's Carnival!"_

"I knew his act was disappointing, but that's no reason to do…this!" Iris had turned her attention to bother a white rabbit tucked into a silk top hat. "Iris, stop that. If you want a toy, go bother the bat hanging in front of that bird cage." Eager to oblige, iris jumped onto the high shelf and began to nudge the bat. Annoyed by the sudden attack, the furry vermin fluttered off. Iris pawed through the bars and pulled out another mask, much like the one by the gate, and a crank handle, dropping them expectantly at Josephine's feet. "Good girl!" Iris scrambled to her perch and gave a very dignified nod. "Come on, then, let's go see if we can find anything of use!" The pair exited Larry's tent and crossed to another booth, the opening fitted with a large latch in the shape of two masks. Josephine fitted the pieces in as the entrance sprang open forcefully. Inside was a gumball machine, a tape recorder sans tape, and a small target. _Classic carnival game: throw a dart, get a prize. Now, if only I had a dart…_ She fished for a quarter in her pocket and twisted the gumball machine knob. Instead of dispensing a gumball, the front of the machine opened, revealing a small leather bound notebook and a metal lever.

"Looks like we lucked out, eh, Iris?" She tossed the notebook into her bag and grabbed the lever, hoping it would fit the chained gate by the theater. As the passed the Day and Night Theater, the same raven she had seem by the entry swooped past her, dropping a piece of paper. Josephine snatched it up, reading it carefully. It was a collage of pictures, of Ravenhearst Manor, Charles and Victor, and another man, the same one on the poster outside the theater, with the inscription _Charles, my son._ It was signed with a scrawling A.D _._ and a raven. She tucked it into the notebook without a second thought and trotted to the gate, fitting the lever into the panel and giving it a brisk tug. One of the chains went lax, though the others remained as taught as before. She had failed to notice a second slot. Josephine pulled the crank handle out of her bag and fitted it to the slot, giving it a hard jerk. The rest of the chains came loose, unbarring the entrance. She strolled through carefully, drawing her jacket tighter around her. A poster was nailed to a tree stump, depicting the mermaid Marlena, with the words _You'll FISH you were dead!_ smeared in what she tried to convince herself wasn't blood. Another scarab was stuck underneath the ominous advertisement. Iris, who had managed to wander off again, sat at Josephine's feet and dropped a battery, which Josephine tossed into her bag as well. Taking the lead, Iris prowled through the overgrown grass to a large gate, this one looking like a gaping fish mouth. A cable box buzzed shrilly as the gate, a pair of guillotine blades, slammed open and shut.

"Yikes! Not going in there. Perhaps I can shut off the power somehow." Noticing a metal gear and a reel of tape on the ground, she dusted them off, examining it before tossing them into her bag with the rest of the bric-a-brac. Iris, deciding she was tired of walking, jumped back onto Josephine's shoulders as she walked back to the magician's tent and dart game. She fitted the tape to the recorder and pushed play, eager to hear what was recorded. To her disappointment, it was only some raspily whispered gibberish. The machine sputtered and went silent. Annoyed, she turned it over, hoping to find a way to repair it. A battery fell out of the back, which of course she tucked away for late use.

"Come on, Iris, we're going back around."

They walked back to the open gate, stopping at an abandoned wagon. The side was fitted with an empty battery chamber, which Josephine filled. The side opened, revealing a complicated puzzle lock. _I knew it, the Dalimars are definitely connected to this case!_ She fiddled with lights, switches, levers, a miniature Ferris wheel, and an array of colored shapes until a low beeping began. Uncertain whether it was real or a figment of her imagination, she leaned in, placing her ear on the side of the cart. Realizing what the sound was, she took off, scrambling away from the cart as fast as she could. As expected, the structure exploded in a blaze of smoke.

"Really? _That's_ what I get for solving it? And explosion? Well, alright then!"

The raven had appeared again, peering at Josephine from the topmost branches of the tree. Iris hissed.

"You know, I think that bird is spying on us." The raven took off, swooping away over a pair of immaculately kept gates, each equipped with a brass lion's head handle, the type which was supposed to keep a ring in its mouth…sans ring. A wooden figure holding a miniature fishing pole was perched haphazardly between the bars, his leg snapped off and tucked in next to him.

"Perhaps we ought to search the magician's tent more thoroughly?" She wandered back, uncertain what she expected to find, when suddenly a cloud of purple haze surrounded her, rolling over her like waves. Out of the mist appeared a figure, obscured for a moment, before appearing in too-crisp detail in a blinding flash of light. A jarring buzz shook Josephine to rapt attention as Iris hissed and arched her back, hair on end. The air tingled with energy and foreboding as the aberration disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared. _That looked exactly like that new carny!_ Getting her bearings, Josephine entered the tent where Larry was still trapped. She approached his dressing table and sat down cautiously on a tripod stool. On the table was box, each side adorned with in imprint of a lucky symbol; a rabbit's foot, a clover, the number seven, and a horseshoe. Also on the table was a circular object she immediately recognized as a mutoscope reel. _Neat! If I can find a mutoscope, I might be able to view these slides!_ Pinned to the mirror frame was a poster of the Amazing Larry, with the phrase _Life is your only illusion!_ painted sloppily in what she again attempted to convince herself was not blood, instinctively drawing her jacket tighter around herself, shivering. A cloth heart, torn at the seams, was wedged into a drawer. Josephine tucked it away, hoping to mend it and see if perhaps it would fit the scarecrow guarding the ticket booth. Larry stirred slightly, his face contorted in anguish as his disjointed legs twitched sporadically. On the side of the crate was a metal square, with thin, looping tracks carved into it, a gar fitted to each. A few holes were empty, as if the mechanisms had been pried out. Josephine dug the bird gear out of her bag and fitted it onto one of the lines, attempting to inch it down. The metal screeched, too old for it to work properly. Josephine and Iris left the tent, Iris maintaining her roost, as they went off to explore the other side of the destroyed wagon. Thick mist was rolling in, shrouding the grounds with foggy tendrils. She picked her way cautiously through the rubble to the midway. A rollercoaster track towered above her, the controls and decorations bursting with light. _If I remember correctly, this's been redone several times. Currently, it's a space theme. What're the chances it would pass inspection?_ A paper fluttered by in the breeze, plastering itself to her leg. It depicted a skeleton with a raven's skull and the words CORVUS SALTATIO. On the back was another raven skeleton sketch with _my best lock, mark of genius!_ scribbled in hasty scrawl. A newspaper of sorts was tacked to the side of the coaster.

 **DAILY MYSTIC #3  
A reliable source has confirmed that notorious dark sorcerer Alister Dalimar has been fighting with the great fortune teller Madame Fate. The root of conflict seems to be a mysterious artifact in Madame Fate's possession, the Ball of Fate. Who will win the epic battle—dark magic or divine lore? **

_"_ Knew it! The Dalimar family has returned and they are indubitably terrorizing the carnival." Iris pricked up an ear and growled softly in agreement. Josephine approached the control panel for the coaster, looking over the array of gears and buttons. Another gear was wedged into the ticket slot, easily able to be pried from its nook. Seizing the gadget, Josephine took off for the magician's tent, bounding excitedly over branches and other debris. Iris followed, yowling indignantly. Hurriedly, she threw open the tent flap and squatted by the side of the magician's box, fitting the final piece into its slot. Much to her frustration, the gears let out a wine, scraping heavily against each other as she tried to move them. Disheartened (though not defeated), she bounded back to the midway. A chain-link fence barred her way further in, though she supposed she would be able to bypass it with a pair of bolt cutters if she happened to find any lying around. Beyond the rollercoaster and an abandoned hotdog stand was a small stage, with an old-fashioned mutoscope in the center, surrounded by heaps of other junk. Josephine fitted the reel to the scope and pressed her eyes to the lens. As she started the machine, a histrionic voice blared.

"Alister Dalimar approached Madame Fate one night, demanding her crystal ball. She refused to give it to him. Dalimar wouldn't take no for an answer and he stole the crystal. But Madame Fate knew a secret spell to unlock the ball's hidden power. Alister Dalimar hasn't been seen since that fateful night. Exactly one year later, Madame Fate died under mysterious circumstances. Please insert next reel."

With great fanfare, a small compartment at the back of the stage sprang open, revealing a dart. _I should give that game a try!_ She took the dart, thanking her fortuitous luck, and went back to the tent. Positioning herself at the counter, Josephine scrunched up her face as she tossed the projectile, hitting the bullseye almost directly. The target retracted as a small can of oil was raised through an opening in the counter as two more targets appeared. She snatched the canister, returning to Larry's tent, certain now that she would be able to rescue him. Careful not to spill a drop, she glugged the lubricant onto each of the gears, beginning to twist and slide them to make an unbroken chain. With a satisfying mechanical _WHIRRRR-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,_ the two halves of the box lid together, rejoining. The lid sprang open and Larry practically tumbled out, too weak to walk. Josephine pulled up a chair for him to sit and he nodded thankfully, breathlessly trying to regain some composure before timidly addressing the detective.

"I-I just can't fathom what's happening here! Time seemed to st-st-stand still. I remember feeling a bit divided, of two minds as it were, and then, then you came to the rescue! Thank goodness I'm no longer subject to this horrendous curse!"

He rummaged through the dozens of inner pockets of his coat before extracting a slip of paper.

"H-here, take this. It's the least I could do."

He took her outstretched palm, curling it around the slip.

"Honestly, I can't th-thank you enough!" he chuckled. "I suppose I'm free from this wretched c-carnival after all!" he laughed.


	4. Marlena the Mermaid

**AN:** Short chapter, I know, but things have been busy. I'll try to update at some point in the near-ish future. Reviews are appreciated, flames are loathed, follows/favorites are lovely! Thank you all!

Josephine trotted back around to the midway with Iris in tow. She approached the coaster control panel, glancing over the array of buttons as she pulled a ticket out of her back pocket, slipping it into the slot. The edge was printed with a code, corresponding to the buttons on the control panel. Power, proceed, open gates, stop. A low whirl picked up into a roar as a dented and grimy rocket shaped cart raced down the tracks, coming to a stop as it slammed into the bumper, letting out a belch of steam.

"It's alright, I meant to do that," she said mostly to herself.

She cautiously treaded over the rotted boards, kneeling at the edge of the car. As expected, the inside was an overflowing rubbish heap, but Josephine managed to fish out a pair of heavy-duty gloves. She meandered back to the fish gates with Iris in tow, hoping that the gloves would allow her to perhaps unplug the cable box. Bracing herself, she grabbed and yanked the plug as the snapping jaws eased to a halt. _Take that!_ Being careful to avoid the sharpened edges, the detective stepped into new territory. A round stage with a backdrop plastered in vintage carnival advertisements for mermaids and other sideshows dominated the area. In the center was a tank, the sides murky green glass, with the hatch sealed by a heavy chain. Inside she could see a faint blur of movement. She hurried over, polishing the glass with her sleeve. Inside was another cursed carny. Marlena the Mermaid, her dark hair floating like a cloud around her, pounded on the glass with a gloved fist. Her eyes were wild with panic, her face pressed against the window. A few bubbles floated from her mouth. She glanced upward and pointed to the hatch, frightened. Josephine nodded. _I guess this is the curse of someone who claims to be able to breathe underwater,_ she thought gravely.

 _A beautiful young woman clad in seashells propped herself up on her elbows, waving at the crowd with a hand wrapped in a blue scale-printed glove. She flicks a mermaid tail, splashing delighted audience members in the front row, laughing with glee. An announcer wanders on stage._

 _"_ _There you have it folks, our very own mermaid, Marlena! You saw it here at Madame Fate's Carnival: half girl, half fish, a dynamite mix of air and ocean! She swims, she floats, she even breathes under water! Sorry, fellas, this lovely lady is taken by our very own tattooed man, Dante Camelo,"_

 _A stocky man covered in ink stormed through the crowd._

 _"_ _Lovely my ass! Try lascivious!" he roared. "My wife is nothing more than a floozy!"_

 _"_ _Looks like our resident mermaid may have a wandering eye!" the announcer said with interest. The audience was hanging on the edge of their seat._

 _Marlena's expression changed from delight to embarrassed shock as a tinge of red spread across her face._

 _"_ _Don't think I don't know about your little affair with Fabiano!" Dante growled._

 _"_ _You heard it here, folks, our married mermaid may have the hots for strong man Fabiano Brawn!"_

 _She ducked back underwater to hide from the jeers as the audience filed out quickly, hoping to avoid the fight. Consumed with rage, the tattooed man slammed the hatch of the tank shut, roughly spinning the latch before storming offstage. Frantically, she strained to heave the lid open, knowing that she only had moments before she ran out of air. A massive gentleman with handlebar mustache came running._

 _"_ _I heard there was trouble!" he sputtered with a heavy Italian accent, searching wildly for Marlena._

 _Seeing the predicament, he quickly opened the lid as she burst out, gasping for air, flinging her arms around the strongman's neck, panting heavily. She only managed to choke out two words between wheezing gasps:_

 _"_ _He knows."_


End file.
